Unit 4: Humans and the Environment

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Melissa Ha and Rachel Schleiger
Yuba College & Butte College via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

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The objective for this unit is to set the stage for understanding how humans have altered the trajectory of Earths abiotic and biotic systems. Specifically this unit will dive into the history of humans on this Earth, how we became successful, how we utilize/acquire basic necessities (water, food), and the how increasing population densities have influenced environmental health. This unit will also addresses the past and present of how the above variables changed as our population changed.

Chart of human evolution through time

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Chart of human evolution compared to other extinct species of the Homo genus. Image by Reed DL, Smith VS, Hammond SL, Rogers AR (licensed under CC-BY 2.5)

Attribution

Rachel Schleiger (CC-BY-NC)

12: The Human Population
Concepts of animal population dynamics can be applied to human population growth. Earth’s human population and their use of resources are growing rapidly, to the extent that some worry about the ability of Earth’s environment to sustain its human population. Long-term exponential growth carries with it the potential risks of famine, disease, and large-scale death, as well as social consequences of crowding.
13: Water Resources
Humans depend on freshwater resources, which are relatively limited compared to the abundance of water on Earth (mostly in the oceans and trapped in glaciers). Water availability is driven by the water cycle. Globally, agriculture is the biggest consumer of freshwater. Solutions to water shortages include dams and reservoirs, desalination, and water conservation.
14: Agriculture
Food insecurity is driven by poverty. Production the world's food has relied largely on industrial agriculture, but sustainable agriculture offers an alternative approach. A large percentage of soy, corn, and cotton grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, meaning that their genes have been directly altered by scientists.
15: Environmental Health
The field of environmental health is concerned with how natural and human-built surroundings affect health and well-being. Humans face biological, chemical, and physical hazards. Biological hazards result in infectious disease, and epidemiologists study patterns of disease outbreaks. Environmental toxicologists study the effects of chemical hazards. Public health organizations focus on environmental hazard reduction.

Thumbnail image - "Human ecological footprint" is in the Public Domain